The Gates of Paradise; Lorenzo Ghiberti's Renaissance Masterpiece

by Edited by Gary M. Radke; With contributions by Andrew Butterfield, Margaret Hai

• ISBN13: 9780300126150
• ISBN10: 0300126158
• Format: Trade Book
• Copyright: 2007-08-02
• Publisher: Yale University Press

Summary

In 1452, Florentine sculptor Lorenzo Ghiberti unveiled a masterpiece that had been a quarter-century in the making: ten bronze panels depicting intricate scenes from the Old Testament. The monumental gilded bronze doors (each more than 15 feet tall) were designed for the Baptistery in the Piazza del Duomo in Florence. Centuries of admirers have considered "The Gates of Paradise" one of the great masterworks of Western art. This extensively illustrated book displays the full glory and elaborate details of many of the newly restored bronze panels, the extraordinary work of the conservators and restorers who cleaned the priceless doors. In a series of fascinating chapters, expert contributors capture Ghiberti's world, his remarkable talent at representing human emotion in rich illusionistic settings, the relationships between Renaissance patrons and artists, and the collaborations and rivalries among artists. Other chapters explore the challenging craft of bronze sculpture, Ghiberti's casting and finishing techniques, and the painstaking process involved in documenting and restoring the treasured doors. A chronology of Ghiberti's life completes this lavishly produced volume.

Author Biography

Gary M. Radke is Dean’s Professor of the Humanities, Syracuse University. He is editor of a book on Verrocchio’s David and co-author of  Art, Power, and Patronage in Renaissance  Florence, among many other publications on Italian Renaissance art.

Table of Contents

Chronology of Lorenzo Ghiberti's life	p. 12
Art and innovation in Ghiberti's Gates of paradise	p. 16
Adam and Eve	p. 42
Lorenzo Ghiberti : master collaborator	p. 50
Jacob and Esau	p. 72
Documenting the Gates of paradise	p. 80
Ghiberti's gold : restoration of the Gates of paradise	p. 98
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